Stemming the Tide at Middle Ground
Being able to understand how to fish a rip and stem the tide at the same time can be crucial to not only increasing your hook up ratio but landing fish at all.
One of the more common rips around the Cape Cod waters is called Middle Ground, which is a striper hot-spot located in the Vineyard sound between Martha’s Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands.
“Keep the boat perpendicular to the rip,” Capt. Mike advises. “And cast perpendicular to the boat which will cause the bait to land parallel to the rip.”
It’s simple really as the bait will naturally swing into the rip based on your lure landing.
In turn, this creates a horizontal presentation which is perfect for the bait fish that are swimming down the sound and getting set into the rip, giving the lure a natural, horizontal presentation.
“But your hook ups come from casting perpendicular to the boat while staying parallel to the rip,” Capt. Mike reminds us. “Twitch the rod while the bait slides into the crest of the rip.”